New York senate hearing discusses potential for sports betting

A New York Senate informational hearing Wednesday became the latest indicator of the widespread interest at state level in a wider sports betting dispensation, should the Supreme Court rule against the federal Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (see previous reports).

The Senate Committee on Racing, Gaming and Wagering heard an extensive range of opinions and perspectives during the hearing, which featured spokesmen for problem gambling, national sports leagues, major betting companies, the New York racing industry, and integrity in sports advocates.

In summary (and there was a great volume of detailed argument), the main discussion points appeared to be:

* The licensed casino industry would like to see sports betting its exclusive preserve;

* The racing industry would like to be involved in a wider sports betting sector, and feel that the online environment should be included;

* The national sports bodies may be amenable to a 1 percent cut from operators a la an Indiana proposal, even though the justification for such free money appears dubious;

* The national sports bodies appear to be coming round to the realisation that individual states are ahead of federal lawmakers in making things happen;

* National sports bodies would like the right to suggest what types of bets may be acceptable;

* There’s a need for New York to be prepared to move if a positive Supreme Court ruling eventuates;

* The NBA specifically would like to see online betting permitted to serve all New York punters (and discourage them from using unauthorised websites);

* Betting companies are less than enthusiastic about handing a 1 percent integrity fee to national sporting bodies that are already wealthy, and have no real argument to justify such a fee;

* Some betting companies would like to see betting on college sports permitted in order to attract US punters away from unauthorised operators;

* The New York State Gaming Association recommended the state’s slots licensees should be able to offer sports betting, and that servers for online betting should be hosted at licensed land-based betting establishments.

The hearing certainly generated a wealth of expertise and information for New York lawmakers to digest whilst the Supreme Court mulls its decision on PASPA.

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